Through the Eyes of Humanity: Guarded Hearts and Humble Lips
by Wolfsong12
Summary: Civilization isn't the same anymore- the gods are weakened due to society's failing humility. Percy and his friends are sent out to destroy the spirit tainting the mortals' humble hearts. Half-mortal, they too are vulnerable to the spirit. They'd been prepared for physical challenges, but what of the emotional? Vanity and addictions strike the heroes in their most unique quest yet.


******Rated M for some morbid scenes, and because I'm paranoid.**

******_*****WARNING:**** : Let's get serious for a second here. These guys are gonna be facing mortal problems. That means that this stuff is gonna be dark. There will be self-harm, eating disorders, drugs, possible violence, suicidal tendencies. I don't want to trigger anyone. Please, if reading this stuff is gonna make you relapse, or send you into a PTSD attack, DON'T READ IT. Your health is far more important than the brain child of a bored, nerdy 15 year old chick. Please, read at your own risk. I'll keep the dark stuff as brief as possible- I'm taking as many precautions as I can here. I don't want my story to be the reason that a faithful reader's life takes a bad turn. That just hurts to think about._**

**A/N: Yo. So, I'm not entirely sure where I'm going with this story; what I have planned is absolutely nothing like the stuff I usually write. But a little change is good, no? It's been too long since I've been on FanFiction. I got so preoccupied last time I tried to write a story here, I gave up and became so ashamed that I avoided this entire website for a few years. *Unsuccessful poker-face smile* ****Lately, I've been reading the second series in the Percy Jackson shenanigans, and fangirled all over them. It's not even because of Percy, or Jason, or any of the ships going on. It's because I am hopelessly, undoubtably in love with Nico di Angelo and all of his "****I-went-through-Tartarus,-no-big-deal" **dark sexiness.

**And no, there is no sarcasm in that declaration whatsoever. Sad, right? It's a little strange for me; I can honestly say that I've never 'fallen in love' with a fictional character before. I just obsess over couples. But, yeah, I've completely fallen in love with Nico's character. I'm so stressed over the fact that I have to wait a _year _for the next book, which may even include his POV, and Rick Riordan might kill him off, and... Aghfubeirub. I have to occupy myself... without tracking down a famous author's location and blackmailing him with his children's lives until he tells me what's going to happen. And by track, I naturally mean a well-worded Google search. Does he even have multiple children? I know he has one, but... Whatever. FanFiction is a MUCH safer way to let out my stress. :D**

**This story is probably going to take place after the Heroes of Olympus series. Since the series isn't over yet, we're going to safely assume *ahem*, predict with complete certainty, that Nico, errr, or _anyone _who is alive after the third installment of the series still is. I don't expect to include any of the Roman demigods, but my stories have minds of their own, so we'll see. There will be a yummy amount of fluff. -Okay, I can't type that with a straight face, it looks a whole lot worse on screen than it does in my head.- There will be a _general, expected _amount of fluff, even though I don't ship anyone in particular.**

**Yeah, okay, sorry, I talk too much. I'm so pumped for this, you guys, my 'Morbid Writing' music playlist for this story is nearly 3 hours long. Now, let's actually get to the stuff you came to read!**

* * *

Percy's POV

It always seemed to start with a dream.

That sounds like the kind of cheesy line to begin a fairytale with, right up there with, "once upon a time, in a land far, far away...". A mushy G-rated fairytale, with a lonely girl who has to put up with her evil step-family, but ends up with a charming little fat godmother and creepy talking mice who makes her hot to catch the prince's eye. Ironically, the prince is all like, "hey! It's about time that I get married or something!" So he marries the poor, now-hot girl, and she gets to punish her evil family.

...Not that Percy's ever read a fairytale or anything.

The point is, nobody ever gets hurt except the bad guy.

That's what makes it a fairytale. Truth is, if Cinder- errr, if this generalized example of a fairytale was real, then the princess would probably lose her furry mice friends, or something. Maybe her godmother would be working for the stepfamily all along, and it was all just a way to humiliate the girl. Maybe the girl herself would die. Basically, in real life, you never got what you wanted without sacrificing the things you love, even if you think that you have nothing to lose. You _always_ have something to lose.

And really, what's with the obsession with dreams these days? "Never give up on your dreams," the media urges. "I didn't! And look where that got me!" Even in school, that's all they seemed to focus on. They force the students to study MLK's famous dream speech, they plaster the classrooms with posters that blare, "follow your dreams!" in girly fonts.

When you're a demigod, you learn that you don't really have a choice but to follow yours. And usually, those dreams don't want to make you the next Brad Pitt or Demi Lovato.

Percy had thought he'd gotten used to the whole dream thing by now, but after saving the world twice, you'd figure that the gods were done messing with your life. Yet there he was, after one short year of peace, stuck in yet another dream that he couldn't escape.

Percy found myself alongside a seashore, which probably should have comforted him. But instead, a shiver crawled down his spine, like the chilly fingers of an unwelcoming spirit. This place was unnatural, surreal. It was definitely not a place that Poseidon would ever rule, and Percy didn't want to think about what did.

If you didn't give it much thought, the place was nice. The sun was warm and bright, the palm trees waved welcomingly, the ocean appeared as richly colored sapphires. But it was the eerie calmness of said ocean that really bugged the demigod, and the corpse-colored sand that made no sound as Percy walked. It felt wrong.

"Percy Jackson," hummed a summery voice to his right. He had been so caught up in the features of the beach that he hadn't noticed the girl on it. "You're later than I expected," she remarked. "I fear our conversation will be cut short. No matter, we can make do." Percy didn't _think he_ had signed up to meet anyone at any scheduled time, but when he looked up at the girl, she looked rather calm, so Percy assumed she wasn't mad he had showed up late. She patted the sand beside her, and he sat.

"Who are you?" Not exactly the friendliest approach, but she didn't seem to mind that either. She only him a wispy smile, and looked out to the ocean, hugging her knees to her chest, her back straight. Percy briefly wondered how that didn't hurt. Seriously, have you ever tried to hug your knees and still manage to retain perfect posture? Maybe she took yoga or something; she seemed like one of those hippie-nature sort of girls. Nah, Percy decided, her clothes weren't hippy enough. Hippies are all about rainbows and organic colors. The girl's dew-colored dress flickered as she moved, as soft and delicate-looking as the silk of a spider's. Her porcelain skin blended into the sand. A black curl fell from her braid and outlined her delicate face.

"I do not expect you to know me, Percy. Not many do." Her voice was quiet, but it never once wavered. The pathetic waves that had formed fell silent when her mouth opened, and the breeze stopped teasing Percy's hair as she spoke. Nature seemed to fall silent to the sound of her voice, and strained to listen to her speak. The world looked up to her but she seemed not to notice. She didn't seem look resentful to the fact that nobody knew who she was, or even angered. She said it simply, like how you would say that the sky is blue. As if it was just another fact; she held no opinion whatsoever.

Percy liked the fact that she addressed him by what he actually went by, not _'Son of Poseidon'_ or _'Perseus Jackson' _or just '_demigod'_, like the other gods and spirits did.

"I don't suppose you want me to go on a quest for you too?" Percy sighed. Although he felt bad for being rude, to say that he was sick of quests was an understatement.

The girl laughed, and the world laughed with her. The ocean stretched out to touch her feet but never succeeded, the palm trees waved to catch her attention. The breeze danced around her face and echoed her. Every move she made was composed and easygoing, her voice and her posture held a quiet, unique sort of ...politeness? Percy didn't know how else to describe the friendly manner in which she thrived. It was no matter that nature looked up to her. "No, young demigod, but do not assume your quest days are over. I only came to warn you of what is to come." Neither of those sentences made Percy feel any better.

Percy watched her for a minute or two, and studied the way she moved. She held no judgement of herself, relaxed. "You're Aidos," he said suddenly. "Goddess of modesty and humility."

Aidos finally met his eyes, her head cocked slightly, a corner of her lips twitching into a crescent moon. "Very good, Percy. Yes, I am Aidos. Not many would have figured that out on their own."

"Yeah, well, that's one of the perks of having Athena's daughter as your girlfriend," he replied. "You pretty much become a walking Greek history book."

Aidos smiled at him for a minute. Then, the winds picked up, and she frowned. She tilted her head upwards, listening to the hushed voices carried by the wind. "I fear our conversation may draw to a close soon, Percy.

"Listen closely and think. What kind of warning do you think that the god of humility may have for you?"

"Umm..." This is also where Annabeth's smarts would come in handy. Aidos watched the demigod intently. The way her attention never strayed would have been unnerving, if she hadn't seemed so relaxed and friendly. Her face was open and quietly patient, secretless. Percy felt himself relax around her. "You've come to warn me of... my pride?"

"Correct," she said, "although it is not just your pride. It is the pride of all demigods."

"No offense or anything," Percy retorted, "but I think the gods are the ones who need their prides checked."

"Careful of what you say. The gods are always listening," she warned, her voice motherly stern. Thunder rumbled in the distance, as if to agree with her. The wind picked up again, urgently this time. "Nemesis draws near. We must hurry," she frowned. "Think, Percy. Whom do the demigods hold themselves over? Whom have you held yourselves over- since the beginning of time?"

Percy blinked. "You mean... Mortals?" He shook his head and laughed. "Yeah. I guess we do think mortals are pretty weak. But they kind of are. Why do we need to be warned of them? They're not a threat or anything."

"Ah, you see, Percy," Aidos hummed, "that kind of thinking is exactly the issue. The gods have felt this way as well, for many millennium. But Athena grows wise. She is the only god who seems to remember that the power of Olympus relies solely on the worship on the humans."

Percy frowned. "But I thought that changed. I thought they relied on 'spirit of civilization' or something."

"What is 'civil' now?" Aidos countered. "Civilization has changed, drastically. It isn't as pure as it used to be. This is affecting the gods and their pure judgement greatly."

Percy's eyes widened. It wasn't exactly like the gods judgement was all that 'pure' to begin with, but Percy could see here Aidos was coming from. If the gods were influenced by the mortals... Well, society wasn't as great as it used to be, Percy knew that for a fact. Just look at his enemies in his old boarding schools. "But... how is Athena supposed to fix that? You can't just _make _mortals become humble. And what does that have to do with the demigods and _our_ humility?"

Aidos didn't answer for a moment. She looked out at the sea again, and it was then that Percy realized how weak she really was. Modesty was almost a complete myth itself in the mortal world. What if it vanished for good? The idea made him shudder. Aidos's silver eyes were sad and subdued, and the ghost-like waveless ocean reflected them. Percy thought the color suited her- silver was neither back or white, good or bad. It was withdrawn and humbly un-opinionated, like the goddess herself.

Okay, woah, metaphors? He was really spending too much time with Annabeth.

Finally, Aidos drew in a whisper-like breath. "Do not doubt the goddess of wisdom. She has great plans, young Percy, and you are involved."

In all fairness, Percy shouldn't have been surprised to hear that, yet the disappointment and weariness he felt was suddenly overwhelming. Aidos reached out her small, delicate hand and placed it on Percy's shoulder. Immediately, the feeling of peace and warmth washed of him with the sound of a crashing wave. In a weird way, the feeling that occupied him now reminded him of Christmas. It faded slowly as Aidos began to spoke. "Do not despair, Percy Jackson. You have done deeds for the gods worthy of any Greek hero. When your time comes, you will be rewarded greatly."

Aidos glanced towards the sky. The temperature seemed to drop, and the beach howled quietly in the quiet breeze. She rose. "I believe my other half draws near." Percy recalled Annabeth telling him that Aidos appeared in most Greek myths with Nemesis, and he could safely assume hat she was the 'other half' Aidos was talking about. He didn't want to know what would happen if he ever met the goddess of revenge. After Leo and Hazel's story last year, she didn't seem like the kind of person you'd wanna run in to.

He stood and faced Aidos. She spoke to him gently, urgently. "Good luck, Percy Jackson. Do not forget our encounter tonight, and hold my warning close." Her eyes bore into Percy quietly. "When all else fails you, remember how to be modest, for it is a guard to virtue and strength."

And just like that, she was gone.

Yet again, Percy was sucked into another adventure.

* * *

He was woken up by a banging on the front door. "I swear on the River Stynx, Percy, if you don't open this door soon, I'll steal the soul of your pet hamster, or emotionally scar your children with a real skeleton in the closet, or-"

Percy grumbled and rolled out of bed, stumbling to the door to find a very annoyed child of death on the other side. "Nico," he greeted, surprised yet grumpy.

"Do you have any idea how long I've been trying to wake you up?" Nico sighed, though Percy saw his lip twitch a little when he surveyed the seagod child's wrinkled PJs, flyaway bedhead, and tired glare. Percy guessed that his cousin wasn't really annoyed. Well, not as annoyed as he was letting on, anyway. Nico continued, "you sleep harder than a dead man. Trust me, I've met quite a few of them."

Percy snorted, opening the door wider for the scrawny 15-year-old. He had changed since Percy had last seen him. The older the son of Hades became, the more death-like he seemed to appear: his skin was lighter, the color of bone. His hair thick and wild and as dark as ever. His fingers were long and impossibly thin; his shoulders were frail and he was much too skinny. Percy didn't move to make physical contact, but he assumed that Nico's skin was completely drained of warmth. But it wouldn't be fitting to say that the boy had become a walking corpse- he was very much alive, and it showed in the way he carried himself. His shoulders were set and proud and his emotions, which were carefully concealed, flickered in the depths of his brown eyes and in the curve of his lips. He radiated determination and bravery, and that made him seem much older than he was.

Percy studied him carefully. Nico wasn't the kind who would visit just to talk, and usually, he was confronting and straightforward. He now sat on an empty bunk, and upon Percy's gaze, he shifted awkwardly, his hands stiff in his lap. Percy waited for him to speak, but an uncomfortable silence loomed over the two instead. "What's up?" The sea demigod asked finally. "How're things in the underworld?"

"Same as ever," Nico replied, looking grateful that he had started the conversation. His eyes were heavy, from what Percy assumed was shadow traveling. "I don't stay much longer than I have to, but from what I've gathered, things have slowed down a lot lately. I think Hades has finally caught up with the sudden increase of deaths from last few years..." He caught himself, and cleared his throat awkwardly. Percy realized that he was talking about the last two wars that had evolved from the Great Prophecies, both of which Percy had been involved in. The two boys probably thought the same thing- the way the child of death had blamed Percy for sister's death. Was it possible that he blamed Percy for the wars, too?

Ridiculous.

Nico continued hastily (albeit lamely), "...And Mrs. O'leary has been around every now and then. But it's been awhile since I've seen her."

Percy smiled briefly at the memory of the overly friendly hellhound. It grew silent again for a moment again. Growing impatient, Percy finally asked, "what brings you to Camp Half-Blood?"

Nico's dark hoodie rose with his shoulders as he shrugged. He gave the older boy a strange look. "I was just about to ask you the same thing. You're the one who summoned me."

Percy mirrored Nico's facial expression. "Summoned you? I didn't..."

He was interrupted by Annabeth, who poked her head through the doorway. "Percy, I-" she stopped when she saw Nico. Her tone shifted ever so slightly, but it was enough to stiffen their backs. "-I didn't realize you were visiting camp, Nico."

Annabeth had reason behind her tone. As was mentioned previously, Nico wasn't the kind who would just stop in for a visit. He had made it clear that he didn't feel welcome in the camp since the first time he set foot in it 5 years ago. Really, he only visited to bring dreadful news or a crazed plan. But Annabeth liked Nico as much as Percy did, so he didn't quite understand why she sounded so... unwelcoming.

"I didn't either," Nico replied coolly. His expression remained casual, but Percy sensed that Annabeth's tone had offended him. "Percy summoned me in a dream." He glanced at Percy.

Back to the topic of dreams. Ugh.

"Nico, that wasn't me," he insisted.

"We'll figure this out later," Annabeth said carefully, her eyes darting between the two. "Anyway, Percy, I came to tell you that the Hunters of Artemis arrived not too long ago." She glanced at Nico cautiously, and he realized what had set her on edge. Bianca di Angelo had become a hunter and left Nico alone when he was a mere 10 years old, and she was killed shortly after she had joined.

As far as he knew, Nico had not seen hunters since his sister's death. There was no telling what he would do if he were to see him again.

Oh, man. This was definitely turning out to be an interesting day.

* * *

**A/N: Okay, yeah, a little OOC for Percy, not wanting the quest and all. But to be honest, after going through Tartarus in MoA, I figured he would be a little changed. I'm experimenting a lot here- trying to figure out how to use Rick Riordan's writing style to my advantage, but I'm not quite sure how it's working out. It's sad that a married man can write in a teenage voice better than I can... Anyone a John Green fan here? Yeah, his amazing writing both inspires and majorly depresses me. Anyways, this obviously wasn't my best writing ever. **

**This chapter moved pretty fast, but I'm just trying to get to the main plot. Introductions are my least favorite part of writing a story, so boring. -.- Yeah, I'm not sure how much information I actually got right in this thing, but feel free to write a review or message me or something if you see a mistake. **

**I know, I _had _to include Nico in the first chapter. Don't worry. I'm going to try to keep the POVs at least semi-balanced. Pwomise. :3 And, err, I promise that the A/Ns won't be so long in the future... ^^"**


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